We love our home in Birmingham and hope that you will too. If you’re unfamiliar with the city, check out our 10 reasons to choose Birmingham for your study adventure.
Explore the UK with Birmingham’s national rail and coach services. Get to London in just over an hour – and by 2026, the HS2 (high speed train) development will reduce this time to just 49 minutes! For exploring further afield, Birmingham has its own international airport connecting to over 140 destinations worldwide – with direct flights to India, Qatar, Dubai, USA and most of Europe.
Wherever you are from, you are sure to feel at home in the cosmopolitan city of Birmingham. Home to over 185 nationalities, over 50% of the population are ethnic minorities (Census 2021).
As the second-biggest city in the UK, Birmingham offers a vibrant but more cost-effective urban experience. Rent prices are over 50% lower than in London and restaurant prices are over 25% lower (NUMBEO, April 2024).
Birmingham is both multicultural and young, so you’ll make plenty of friends here. Home to around 80,000 students, it’s considered the most youthful city in Europe, with under-20s accounting for 28% of the population (ONS 2020).
The city is home to regional offices for big brands including the BBC, PwC, Deloitte LLP, and Deutsche Bank – as well as the UK headquarters for HSBC – so you’ll be surrounded by professional opportunities.
Birmingham is an exciting place to be, with continuous developments and investment in the city. One of these is the HS2 development taking place right outside BCU’s City Centre Campus, where hundreds of jobs will be created.
We all need a breather from city life now and then, and Birmingham is home to around 600 parks and green spaces – thought to be more than any other European city. You can also take a 20-minute train to Sutton Park in the north of the city: one of the largest single urban parks in Europe.
People travel from all over the UK to shop in Birmingham, home to the iconic Selfridges building and Bullring shopping centre. You will also find the world’s biggest Primark just half a mile from BCUIC!
Birmingham is home to Premier League football team Aston Villa, as well as professional teams Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion. If you’re a cricket fan, county and international matches are regularly hosted at Birmingham’s famous Edgbaston Stadium.
JRR Tolkien – author of The Lord of the Rings – grew up in Birmingham, and it is believed that much of the world he created was inspired by where he lived. Sarehole Mill, in South Birmingham, served as inspiration for The Hobbit, while the brick towers in Edgbaston influenced his creation of The Two Towers.
Check out this video of progressed BCUIC student Jinal Shah, who tells us what she loves most about living and studying in Birmingham.
